At 48, he’s a new Navy chaplain

PENSACOLA (BP)—It’s been nearly 24 years since Ed Erwin observed Memorial Day in a military role, so it holds special significance this year for the longtime Southern Baptist pastor.

At 48, Erwin joined the Navy as a chaplain on Jan. 7.

The son of a retired Army officer enlisted at an age when many fellow Baby Boomers are pondering future pension benefits or Social Security’s future.

ED AND RHONDA ERWIN

“I know as a chaplain I’ll be involved in a number of services,” Erwin said of Memorial Day’s commemoration of men and women who died in military service. “I’ve done that before as a pastor in Shelbyville (Ky.),” said Erwin, who was pastor of First Baptist Church there for 12-plus years. Memorial Day began in 1866 to honor veterans of the Civil War, but after World War I it was expanded to include those who died in any war.

“There are a number of veterans who inspire me,” Erwin said. One is still living—his father, retired Lt. Col. Hamilton Erwin.

A conversation the two had in the fall of 2006 stirred the son to think about rejoining the Air Force. Ed Erwin had served with the reserves during the summers of 1983-84 while in seminary.

When his father, a Vietnam veteran, commented that the Army was taking people back with prior experience, Ed began to ask whether the Air Force would do the same.

“After he mentioned this is when I started getting excited,” said Erwin, a veteran of 22 years in the pulpit, most recently in Kentucky, and a graduate of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. “Through Dad talking to me, I felt God had spoken to me about the military.”

However, after contacting an Air Force recruiter he quickly was told: “You’re too old.” A few hours later, a similar response came from an Army representative.

Erwin put the issue on the back burner until he learned in February 2007 that the Navy’s only age requirement was to be 21 and there was a possibility they would grant a waiver past normal retirement age of 62.

If the waiver eventually is granted, it would allow him to complete a 20-year career, one of several goals he has set for the next two decades.

However, before entering the Navy, Erwin had to pass various examinations. That included a physical in which he ran 1.5 miles in just over 10 minutes and did 71 sit-ups and 50 push-ups.

That helped him prepare for basic training and chaplain school, where in the brisk Northeastern winter he ran seven miles at a clip three times a week. His routine included regular weightlifting sessions and a weekly one-mile swim.

Why submit to such rigors at his age? Because his nation is at war and needs chaplains, Erwin said.

“It’s challenging—the separation from family, physical endurance, the stress,” he said. “I have a great respect for my fellow chaplains; I’m proud to be associated with them.

“You make many sacrifices,” Erwin added. “There’s nothing they could pay you to make up for these sacrifices. You have to be called. Most people don’t have any clue what’s involved.”

Erwin knows he could serve in the war-torn Middle East, even though that may not occur until 2011. Currently stationed at a base in Florida’s Panhandle, he acknowledges that everyone who signed up recently faces certain duty overseas.

Still, he doesn’t regret his new career.

“The chaplains are the cream of the crop,” Erwin said. “They’re the best kind of ministers. They’re physically fit, emotional strong and intellectual. They’re highly intelligent.”

Bolstering Erwin’s decision to head for the military in middle age is his wife, Rhonda. The daughter of former missionaries, her father also had served in the Air Force, including a tour in Vietnam during the war in Southeast Asia.

When her husband shared his thoughts about enlisting, she replied, “That’s awesome. Go for it.”

Although that meant spending nearly three months apart during training, Rhonda stands by her decision to swap the role of pastor’s wife for chaplain’s spouse.

“My philosophy has always been to be ministry partners together,” said Rhonda, who taught Sunday School and helped lead Vacation Bible School in Shelbyville.

“I’m still going to be doing the exact same thing, of being extremely supportive, not just to him but also in ministry with him. I will be ministering myself to different families and trying as best I can to help wives and counsel them.”

She said she is especially proud of her husband following in the same line as her family, noting that both sides came to America in the early 1600s and that many served in some military capacity through the years.

So, when her husband lends his voice to Memorial Day observances, Rhonda Erwin also will reflect on those who went before her—and call her father to thank him for his service to the nation.

“Ed’s father,” she added, “did three tours in Vietnam before he got his shoulder blown off. I’m so honored and I want them to know how grateful I am for their sacrifice.

“Anybody in the military—that’s all they do is sacrifice. It’s not a job to get ahead [or] make a boatload of money. All it is is sacrifice for others and for your country,” Rhonda said.

Of course, with his wife handling the primary child-rearing duties for two youngsters, Erwin returns the favor when he talks about those who deserve the most credit.

Spouses of soldiers and sailors make a greater sacrifice because they have to take care of financial and other family matters, including acting as a single parent when their loved one deploys, Erwin said.

“The Navy spouses are the true heroes,” he said. “They should get the glory for all they do. They’re the ones who make it possible for us to do what we do.”